Editorial: State Senate has work cut out for it

About 21/2 years ago, the state Senate had a serious bout of political turbulence and party defections, causing things essentially to come to a halt in the chamber for more than a month until it could be resolved. It was a gross affront to New Yorkers, who have every right to expect more out of their state legislators.

It's with this backdrop that New Yorkers should warily consider what is ahead in 2013: a complicated power-sharing arrangement in the state Senate that may prove cumbersome at best, unworkable at worst.

With Republicans and Democrats nearly equally divided in the Senate, five Democratic senators have opted to break away to form their own caucus, essentially partnering with the GOP to run the state Legislature's upper chamber.

The so-called Independent Democratic Conference becomes a permanent third conference in the Senate. Sen. Jeff Klein, D-Bronx, will lead the IDC, and Sen. Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, will continue to lead the Republicans. They will alternate the title of temporary Senate president every two weeks.

How, exactly, this will play out is as clear as mud.

But one thing is for certain: The onus is on the state Senate to make it work, somehow.

Much to the chagrin of many Democrats, Gov. Andrew Cuomo isn't taking sides, despite the apparent diminished power of his political party under the arrangement.

The governor, laudably, is more focused on results. He says it doesn't matter who comes through on a number of issues - as long as they come through. Those issues include enacting campaign finance reform and doing more to curb emissions that contribute to climate change. The governor also wants to ensure that some policies put in place during his first two years, from the property-tax cap to teacher evaluations, don't get scuttled.

The last time there were political defections in the state Senate, two dissident Democrats decided to vote with state Senate Republicans for a spell. It marked a low point during the two years when the Democrats were supposed to be in charge of the chamber following the 2008 elections.

But it wasn't the only low point. Democrats controlled the governor's mansion, the Assembly and Senate during this time. They handed New Yorkers a hefty budget increase in 2009 and implemented the MTA payroll tax to boot.

Fortunately, things have changed since then. Republicans were able to regain control of the Senate in 2010 and, for the most part, have worked well with the governor to enact reforms. And now new Democrats, including Terry Gipson, who will represent Dutchess County, are coming in, eager to be part of broader reforms.

Gipson says he will be a member of the Senate Democratic Conference, not the IDC. Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, will lead the Democrats, the first time a woman will head a legislative conference at the state Capitol.

How the coalitions and voting blocs form in the state Senate certainly will be worth watching. They might be the most important thing that must develop during 2013 for New York to move ahead effectively.

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Editorial: State Senate has work cut out for it

About 21/2 years ago, the state Senate had a serious bout of political turbulence and party defections, causing things essentially to come to a halt in the chamber for more than a month until it